GLOUCESTER , MASS. (WHDH) - Officials said Monday they have identified the seven people who died when their commercial fishing boat, the Lily Jean, went missing off the coast of Cape Ann in Gloucester last week.
Officials have identified the crew members as Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, the captain, crew members Paul Beal Sr., and his son Paul Beal Jr., Josh Rousanidis, Freeman Short, Sean Therrien, and NOAA Fisheries Observer Jada Samitt.
“We’ve all talked about the track record of Gus Sanfilippo, the captain, he’s been impeccable,” said Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund. “He’s very risk-averse, he’s not the kind of guy that, [says], ‘I know it’s going to blow but my boat can handle it.’ ‘Nope, we’re going home.’ Family man, clean as a whistle, loved by everybody including his crew.”
The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue mission early Friday after receiving a distress call from a radio beacon on the 72-foot (22-meter) Lily Jean about 25 miles (40 kilometers) off Cape Ann. Crews found a debris field near where the alert was sent, a body in the water, and an empty life raft, the Coast Guard said.
After an overnight search, their efforts were stopped and all seven fishermen were presumed dead.
Officials said Monday that everything seemed to be normal onboard before the tragedy, and they do not yet know what caused the boat to sink.
“The recovery of a sunken fishing vessel is an extraordinary fete, particularly 300 to 400 feet underwater, and I would not want to create an expectation it will ever be brought to the surface,” said Sen. Bruce Tarr, 1st Essex & Middlesex District.
Sean Therrien, 44, of Peabody, had only been with the boat for six to eight weeks. His fiancée said he was out of work and took the job to make ends meet during the winter. She said she did not want him to go with the crew when they left on Tuesday.
“I was like just stay home, take a week off,” said Becky Carp, Therrien’s fiancée. “You’ve been working so hard, going out every five to six days, come home for a day or two, go back out.”
Carp says Therrien told her he wanted to provide for her and their two sons, so he went, calling her before boarding the boat.
“It feels like a nightmare that I’m going to wake up from and he’s going to be home with me,” she said. “I don’t know how to feel. How do you say goodbye to somebody that you’ve been with for 22 years, who was your best friend, and your person, we were supposed to grow old together.”
The Mayor of Gloucester wrote in a statement, “Fishing is the heart and soul of Gloucester. Everyday fisherman risk their lives facing treacherous conditions to provide for their families in order to feed our collective family. This is a tragedy we have experienced before, and one we will never get used to. However, in uncertainty, one thing remains certain. Gloucester is a strong and resilient community, and we will come together united in continued support of those reeling from the loss of this fishing vessel.”
A GoFundMe to support the family of Sean Therrien can be found here.
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